Looking Out For You Too
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Bonejangles helps Victor loosen up after the young man learns about Victoria's upcoming wedding to Lord Barkis. My first Corpse Bride story.


**Okay, believe it or not, I finally watched "Corpse Bride". You would think with how much I love "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James And The Giant Peach", I would have watched "Corpse Bride" long before now. :) If you haven't seen it, you should. It's a cute movie. :)**

 **Anyway, this story came to me and I just had to write it, mostly because my favorite character in the movie, Bonejangles, didn't get enough screen time, at least in my opinion. He's easy to like. :)**

 **Alright, on with the story! :) Corpse Bride belongs to Warner Brothers. This takes place between the time Victor learns that Victoria is going to marry someone else and before he goes back to hear Emily ask Mrs. Plum why he took off and that she couldn't ask him to drink the wine of ages, so there are some spoilers for the movie in this story. :)**

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 **Looking Out For You Too**

Victor felt so crushed after learning about Victoria's engagement to the wealthy lord. Despite having only known her for a few moments, he truly loved her, but now felt awful that he couldn't get back upstairs to marry her. In plus, he had unwittingly married Emily, who he had just made amends with as he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings earlier and she had forgiven him.

He now sighed. "What do I do?" He asked softly.

"Why not stick around with Emily?" A familiar voice asked and Victor looked up to see Bonejangles leaning against the wall beside him, looking at him with his one eye. "You did apologize to her, something I'm glad you did."

The young man looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, my excuses had hurt her and...she didn't deserve that," he said quietly.

The skeleton sat down beside him. "Why did you want to get up there so bad?" He asked.

Victor sighed. "It was to hopefully get away from here," he admitted. "To...To marry Victoria, as was both my parents' plan and Victoria's parents' plan."

He looked away. "But that's not going to happen," he said. "Victoria's now engaged to someone else."

Bonejangles had kept quiet during the explaination and now looked at the young man. "Do you not really like Emily that you'd risk losing her?" He asked.

Victor was unsure what to say. "It's not that," he finally admitted before sighing again. "It's just...oh, it's so complicated."

Shaking his head, the skeleton had an idea. "You know, I think I know what you need," he said, taking Victor's arm and gently tugging him to his feet. "Follow me."

The young man followed the musician, wondering what he had in mind and soon found out as they came to what looked like a hotel. He followed Bonejangles inside and noted that it was mostly empty, but the skeleton came to a room and opened it to reveal a library. He motioned the young man in and gestured for him to lay down on a therapist's couch. He did so and saw the skeleton grab a chair and sit in it.

It was quiet for a bit before Bonejangles spoke. "Victor, you're too uptight," he said, not sugar-coating it. "Up there must really be dead if you're so rigid that you're afraid to do something spontaneous."

Victor didn't correct him because what the skeleton pointed out was true. "You're right about that," he said. "I just...don't want to disappoint those counting on me, but it looks like I did."

"No wonder you're so uptight then. All that pressure, not like down here."

The young man nodded. It was true. The land of the undead was livelier and there was no pressure. In fact, all the inhabitants seemed to be mostly unrushed and were all very friendly, even to him, though he was still alive.

In the quiet, Bonejangles began humming the same song he had sung earlier with his band and Victor listened closely, noticing that it was a rather calming tune, almost like the piano music he loved to play and it wasn't long before he was humming along with the skeleton, who noticed and his grin grew a bit wider. "Well, you're loosening up a bit," he noted.

"I guess being down here has...well, given me a chance to see something other than a dull life," he admitted.

"We're anything but dull down here, Victor," the skeleton said before he stood up and came up to the young man, his eye rolling to his other socket. "And I know exactly how to prove that."

Victor saw the skeleton loom over him and he went to scoot back, but the next thing he knew, he was laughing as bony fingers tickled his sides all over. He squirmed as the skeleton chuckled, tickling him faster. "Well, well, looks like the breather is sensitive," he said teasingly.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Victor laughed, still squirming as Bonejangles tickled his sides, ribs, and underarms.

"Well, look at that," the skeleton said, smiling a bit wider. "Feels good to feel relaxed and not so uptight, hmm?"

The young man was laughing too much to respond, but after a bit, the musician gave him a chance to catch his breath, sitting beside Victor's supine form as the young man took some deep breaths before looking up at Bonejangles, who was grinning again. "You know, Emily is really a great gal," he said. "I've known her a long time."

Victor smiled. "She is lovely," he agreed before sighing. "And I haven't been exactly kind to her."

"Ah, but you apologized," Bonejangles said. "And she forgave you."

"Yes, but...I guess things happened so suddenly that...it was too much to take in all at once," the young man admitted.

A bony hand ruffled his hair playfully. "Well, you've adjusted well," the skeleton said. "And hey, why not give Emily a chance?"

Victor smiled and nodded. "Yes, I should," he said. "She's been patient with me."

Bonejangles clapped him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "You're more deserving of her than the one that broke her heart all those years ago," he said.

"Thank you," the young man said as they headed back for the pub where Emily was.

The skeleton smiled as he watched Victor head back in. He really liked the guy and knew that he and Emily were a good match. And just as he looked out for Emily, he would look out for Victor too, the young man who had earned Emily's heart.

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 **I just had to and I'm not sorry I did. :)**

 **Please leave a review, but no flames! This is my first Corpse Bride story, so please be gentle. Thank you.**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


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